Victorian Fires

Even as the radio media was coninuing to blurb horror warnings early today, the BoM had already downgraded the fire weather warning earlier this morning for Central and Northern Vic and had cancelled the severe weather (strong winds) warning as well for those districts.

However, none of that was mentioned in any radio reports I heard between 5am-7am. Just more over-reaction and talk of "wind gusts to 120kph".

I guess it makes for dramatic radio "reporting".

"The boy who cried wolf" is a term from my childhood days that springs to mind...

Have a nice day.

Here's a link to some more "fearsome" reporting...

http://www.theage.com.au/national/bushfires

Looks like fire has become the new media darling. Big business indeed.

It was windy here in SA last night; up to 70kmh. Last night at around 10pm they were saying that Victoria was going to experience Category 1 cyclone strength winds - this was on Foxtel who said they get their info from the Weather Bureau.

Rain, well, I think they need to get new modelling programmes. We might get 5mls if lucky. Hope I am wrong; the strong northerly winds overnight dried up any spots we got last night anyway.

OK to be fair on the poor buggers at BoM etc. The wind has picked up here a lot in the last hour and the temp is rising fast as well.

12 hours late, but better late than .........

Trembling Hand said:

OK to be fair on the poor buggers at BoM etc. The wind has picked up here a lot in the last hour and the temp is rising fast as well.

12 hours late, but better late than .........

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Yeah it's damn weird. temp increased with the wind, might have the makings one one hell of a storm later.

That temperature rise happened in Adelaide too, except it happened at Midnight. Quite cool at sleep time, as we had some showers; maybe around 20degrees. Then 28 at midnight. Much cooler now and a coupla heavy showers.

Prospector said:

That temperature rise happened in Adelaide too, except it happened at Midnight. Quite cool at sleep time, as we had some showers; maybe around 20degrees. Then 28 at midnight. Much cooler now and a coupla heavy showers.

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Damn Labor Govt, never had weather like this under the Libs

Back in 1926 and again in 1939 the town of Noojee in Victoria Australia was destroyed by fire and as a small boy I went to a work camp there with my father in the 1950s. He was a forestry officer and the first thing he did when we arrived was to take me to a refuge approximately a metre underground. He told me that if ever I was not in his company and a fire was approaching I was to go to the refuge.

These days an excavator could dig such a refuge in about half an hour. Brick retaining walls and a steel roof to support the metre of earth would finish the job. Entry was by way of a L shaped corridor descending about a metre below ground. Heavy hessian curtains which were soaked in a trough of water inside the refuge prevent smoke penetrating.

I wonder how such a simple and effective solution was totally abandoned. Was it because arrogance has crept into the CFA since those years back in the 1950s? The oldies didn't have many luxuries but developed the most appropriate ways of surviving in the Australian bush. The bunker I saw was not unique and so I wonder why the practice of providing safety through a bunker died out. Did the bureaucrats of the CFA develop an attitude that the advent of high tech fire engines and water bombers made the simple and low cost bunker obsolete?

A tragedy of this magnitude in this age is an absolute outrage. Whatever the reason behind the abandonment of bunkers I hope that the Victorian royal commission into the fires will issue a recommendation that every rural property be required to have one.

I have read rural lifestyle magazines that describe techniques that provide effective protection. One of these was steel pipe reticulation systems on top of the house powered by water pumps driven with a small engine sourced from a swimming pool or something similar are a pretty effective method of fire protection.

Then there must be a fall back plan in case the fire overwhelms these residence protection strategies. The underground bunker well away from anything combustible is the best plan and it amazes me that their use hasn't been advocated by those responsible for fire safety. Even the people who constructed an above ground refuge or sat the fire out in an airconditioned car survived so it's obvious that bunkers would have saved many lives in the recent fires which have plagued the Australian bushland particularly in the past two decades while the old timers strategies have been forgotten.

LOL; moral hazard extends to uninsured home owners!


Bushfire victims to get $50k to rebuildSimon Mossman
March 12, 2009 - 5:35PM
Bushfire survivors whose homes were lost or badly damaged in the deadly Black Saturday disaster will receive $50,000 each to kickstart their rebuilding process.

In the first significant distribution of the more than $236 million donated in response to the February 7 bushfires, Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund chairman John Landy on Thursday announced the allocation of more than $130 million.

Well, I guess the money has to be given out to the victims somehow.

Such an arrangement, however, raises the question with regard to the uninsured: if they have no insurance payout, $50,000 isn't going to go far towards building another house.

That distribution is fine if it goes to everyone who lost their home. It is certainly better than nothing, which is what happens if your house randomly burns down and you have no Insurance.

I'd say a fair share of those houses were little more than shacks, $50,000 is a great improvement on what some of them had and no insurence needed.

Makes me feel really good about my contribution

Great to see an even distribution of aid to the insured and uninsured, instead of favouring the latter. And $50K will be plenty for the uninsured to purchase a new caravan to live in while rebuilding, if they choose to do so (hopefully insuring their next home).

badger41 said:

Great to see an even distribution of aid to the insured and uninsured, instead of favouring the latter. And $50K will be plenty for the uninsured to purchase a new caravan to live in while rebuilding, if they choose to do so (hopefully insuring their next home).

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The premiums will be over the top, unless they make it compulsary there will be less insured not more.

badger41 said:

Great to see an even distribution of aid to the insured and uninsured, instead of favouring the latter. And $50K will be plenty for the uninsured to purchase a new caravan to live in while rebuilding, if they choose to do so (hopefully insuring their next home).

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I saw Brumby on the news tonight say that they are considering more payments to the uninsured, the under-insured and large families.

It is a travesty that a political party should be able to call the shots on the distribution of money donated by the public.

If the uninsured and under-insured do get more than those who were responsibly insured, I reckon the appeal for the next Great Disaster won't be too well subscribed.

Julia said:

If the uninsured and under-insured do get more than those who were responsibly insured, I reckon the appeal for the next Great Disaster won't be too well subscribed.

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I have relatives in the Dandenongs. For the past 2 years a relative of mine has been requesting the local council to do something about an adjacent property and the over-grown tree-line that has become a potential fire hazard. She always pays home and contents and has so for the past few decades. Most people within her local community are quite pro-active and educated since many in the area perished and many properties were destroyed during Ash Wednesday.

Education is the key and I think councils need to devolve some of their functions to local citizens, analogous to a neighborhood watch system in order to ensure the safe and responsible removal of fallen trees and out-of-control foilage. At the same time the community should have a greater input and be able to alert the local municipal authorities when hazardous conditions or rate-payer apathy endangers the community as a whole. Public participation is paramount to confront the next bushfire. If they can't involve and inform the people who live in bushfire prone areas and include them as an integral part of any Royal Commissions recommendations then the bureaucrats will have failed the people of Victoria on this one.

I know it's old news but if the Govt can build the Frankston bypass in such as hurry, and toll free, why couldnt they protect those living in fire prone areas ?

Hundreds of lives at stake in one instance , 20 minutes travelling time saved in another.

Julia said:

If the uninsured and under-insured do get more than those who were responsibly insured, I reckon the appeal for the next Great Disaster won't be too well subscribed.

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I have made donation, but I did not consider that it could be divided unevenly to penalise those who were insured.

Well, next time I am out, sorry.

some absolutely damning information coming out now from the Bushfires Royal Commission
experts sitting inside an office in the heart of Melbourne.....unbelievable...

http://www.theage.com.au/national/kinglake-resident-fled-before-bushfire-hit-town-20090512-b13x.html
http://www.theage.com.au/national/kinglake-resident-fled-before-bushfire-hit-town-20090512-b13x.html